Amazon Q4 revenue rises, but below expectations

New York

AMAZON was expected to run away with the holiday season. Instead, it merely strolled.

Revenue for the fourth quarter was a bit lighter than expected, the Seattle company reported on Thursday, and profit was a whole lot skimpier. Wall Street was crushed. The US$24 billion or so that investors had added to the company's market value earlier in the day immediately vaporised, and then some.

Amazon prompts strong emotions, and they were on full display on Thursday - first a faith that the company will indeed measure up to outsize expectations to be th…